Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 22 seconds
I think I am wary of trying to explain intersectionality simply, but you are often in a situation (especially with students) where you want to make sure they get the main idea at least, in order to carry a conversation before you delve deeper.
This video makes it really accessible, and it also does a good job of delving deep into different kinds of intersectionality, the history of Kimberlé Crenshaw and why she came up with the term, and gives concrete examples of how intersectional identities can affect the opportunities and lived experiences of marginalized groups. It is from Teaching Tolerance, itself a great website, and refers in the end to an article, which students can then read. I do like to assign the original Kimberlé Crenshaw to students, but if they understand the main idea from here, it might make it easier for them to read the longer article, which some of them have found difficult in the past (I think this copy on Racial Equity Tools is a legal copy of it).
Of course, there is Kimberlé Crenshaw’s TED Talk on the Urgency of Intersectionality, but for some reason my students also found it confusing. It might be the US context specifically, I’m not sure why.
I came across these Ten Tips for Putting Intersectionality in Practice – I’m especially interested in the way you deal with data/research, because we know from Crenshaw’s work how disaggregating race from gender data hides some important conclusions.
I also came across this Instructor’s Guide on Teaching Intersectionality by Crenshaw herself!!
Hope folks find this quick curation helpful!